Fuel container



Feb. 20, 1945. 'L. SHAKESBY FUEL CONTAINER Filed Sept. 11, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet l L. SHAKESBY FUEL CONTAINER Feb.- 20, 1945.

Filed Sept. 11, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 L; SHAKESBY FUEL CONTAINER Feb. 20, 1945.

Filed Sept. 11, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 fnvenaar:

T M? a Patented Feb. 20, 1945 g I UNITED STATES PATENT v I 2,369,921 v I I FUEL CONTAINER, I Leonard Shakesby, Wolverhampton, England, as-

signor to Imperial Chemical Industries Limited, a corporation of Great Britain 1 Application September 11, 1941, Serial No. 410,460

In Great Britain September 1.6, 1940 12 Claims; (01. loo-0.5)

This invention relate ,v to fuel containersand in particular to fuelcontainers having walls of non-metallic flexible or deformable material which is impervious to petrol fuels.

In the construction of fuel containers of large capacity foraircraftor the like, it is necessary tainer,;the adjoining-peripheral edges of adjacent sections'projecting into the interior of the container and providing means for subsequent attachmento-f a anic or internal supporting to provide means to prevent surging of the fuel I within'the container. In containersv of the kind.

referred to, such means usually comprise flexible bafilesa The correct location and attachment of such bafiles to: the flexible walls of the assembled; container presents considerable difliculty. Wherean internal supporting structureis employed which may prevent surging of the fuel without-the necessity of employing flexible baflles, it is necessary toprovide, means for anchoring the walls of the container to the supporting struc-v ture. I 7

The object of the present invention is to pro.- vide a method of manufacturing fuel containers with flexible walls to ether with bafiles and/or an internal supporting structure whereby the wallsfof the container may be simply and securely attached to the bafllesand/or supporting structure. 1

:According to the present invention in the manufacture of liquid fuel containers pieces of flexible non-metallic material impervious to petrol fuels are tailored and assembled to form a container having flexible fuel retaining walls with. flange-like portions formed integrally thereon or firmly securedthereto and projecting into the interior of the assembled container, said flangelike portions providing for subsequent attache ment of a baflle-and/ or internal supporting structure.

- In one method of manufacturing fuel contain-.-

'ers. in accordance with the present invention, I attach, securely to a sheet: of flexible. material one; or more elongated stripsof similar material in such a manner that when the said sheet of one of its walls.

material is subsequently tailoredand assembled with other suitably shaped pieces of material to. form the fiexible'walls of the.- container, a portion or portions: of the-said strip. or strips pro- J'ects or project into the interior of the said container, to provide flange-like means for subsequent attachment to a bafile. or supporting frame work within the container. g

In another method of manufacture in, accordan e wi h t present inventio pieces of flexible material are tailored and, ass mble to for separate sections. of a. fuel. container; w i h'sec tions are subsequent y j ined; toset eitaround their peripheral edgesto form the complete conframework.

In. one, convenient'method of manufacturing flexible fuel containers-,1 a number of suitably shaped pieces ofv flexible material are. tailored, assembled and secured together around a collapsible former or the like, which former is subsequently collapsed and withdrawn. from the interior of the container through an aperture in When it is' desired to provide a. baffle, or bafiles within the container, the said baffle is secured imposition after the former has been removed. Where this; method of manufacture of the container envelopeis employed, one or more strips of flexible material are provided in accordance with the present. invention, forthe subsequent attachment of the baflles. Thesaid strip maybefattached along its entire length, but only a part of its width, to the sheet of material as by cementing and/o; sew-Ina, The strip lies flat on the. said sheetior the purpose of assembling the container, and when the collapsible former is's-ubsequently removed, the unattached portion of.- the strip is foldedto; project into the interior of the container in the iormxof a continuous flange to which the; heme, may be secured in any convenient manner as, forexample, by

riveting, cementing or sew nethereto. Alternatively, the unattached, portion; of, the strip may be cut to form a series of tongues, which ton ues may be folded to project. into the interior of the container and. the basics secured thereto, either in the aforesaid manner or by looping the said tongues through slits formed in the baffle adjacent" the. peripheral. edges. thcrcoi and securin the ti of the tongues to their roots i v any suitable way, for example by riveting. If desired, the relative positionsv of the tongues and slits may be reversed, that is, the slits. maybe formed in the strip and the tonaueson the. battle.

In certain, circumstances. asiqr example Where thesize or shape of the container render it necessary'or advisable to construct the container in separate sections and ubsequently to join the sections together, the material; of the container itself may be, employed toprovidei means for the attachment; of the bailies... Preferably in such circumstances, the; sections to he -joined together are pr vided with a series: oi slitsad-jacent: and parallel to their mar inaljedsss, which edges. are then flanged inwardly by tailorin an pleatin the material so that the slits are then located in the flanged portions. The adjacent sections are then firmly secured together, and an internal baflle inserted through an aperture in one of the walls of the container. The said bafile is provided with a series of tongues around its periphery which tongues are adapted to be looped through theslits in the flanged portion and to be secured by riveting or the like.

Where the container is provided with an in ternal supporting framework, the flanged portions of the container walls may be secured to the supporting framework as well as tothe baflle, or to the framework only if no baffle is provided or if the battle is already secured to spaced apart by frame-members extending longitudinally of the container, the tongues on the baflie or flanged portion being pre-arranged so that the spaces therebetween coincide with the longitudinal members and provide clearance therefor. Alternatively, the longitudinal members may'comprise separate members secured to the webs of the composite T-section members.

Two methods of carrying my invention into effect are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a flexible fuel container.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a sheet of flexible material with a strip of similar material attached thereto.

Figure 3 is an elevation of a baille with slits formed therein. t

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the method of securing the baffle to the strip.

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the container of Figure l with a baflie secured therein.

Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating the method of assembling separate sections of a con- 7 tainer.

Figure 7 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the method of securing a baiiie within a container constructed in accordance with Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view illustrating the method of securing a bathe in accordance with'Figures 6 and 7.

Figures 9 and 10 are views similar to Figures 5 and '7, illustrating other typical specific constructions within the scope of the invention.

Referring to Figures 1-5 of the drawings, a sheetofflexible material I has attached to it a strip 2 of similar flexible material, said strip having formed along one edge thereof a series of tongues 3. The sheet and strip material are impervious to petrol and may consist of strong fabric material treated or impregnated with a synthetic rubber-like material known as neoprene. The attachment of the strip to the'sheet is effected by cementing, for example, by a solution of neoprene, and byrows of stitching 4. The said sheet of material is then assembled with other suitably shaped pieces of material (not shown in the drawings) in known manner to form a flexible container 5 in which the sheet I constitutes the wall 5. The positioning of the strip 2 on the sheet i is predetermined in such a manner that, in the assembled container, the tongues 3 extend around the wall 6 of the container and are adapted to be folded inwardly therefrom at the position at which it is desired to attach a bafile 'l. The shape of the said bailie is similar to the cross-sectional form of the eontainer, but the dimensions are somewhat smaller. A series of holes 8 are formed adjacent the pe ripheral edge of the baffle, and the material be" tween alternate pairs of holes is slit as shown at 9. The purpose of the holes 8 is to obviate elongation of the slits by tearing stresses. is also provided with conventional apertures In. and is inserted into the container 5 through an aperture II in one end wall l2 of the said container. The tongues 3 are then. threaded through the slits 9, folded back, and the 'tips of the tongues secured to their roots by eyelets 13. In carrying out this operation, it is convenient to attach first of all several tongues at suitable intervals to locate the bailie correctly, and subseque'ntly to complete the attachment of the remaining tongues. Finally, a covering and reinforcing strip It is applied around the exterior. of the wall 6 of the container, to obviate any leakage of fuel at the rows of stitches 4.

Referring now to Figures 6-8 of the drawings. a container similar to that illustrated in Figure l of the drawings is constructed by assembling several sections together. The several sections are constructed separately in any convenientmanner, and two such sections are indicated by the reference numerals l5 and 46. The said sections are provided with apertures H and slits- |8 as described hereinbefore adjacent their mar-' ginal edges and as shown in section IS in Figure 6. The material is then pleated and tailored so that the edges are flanged inwardly as shown at 19 in section l6 in Figure 6. The apertures l1 and slits 18 are located in the flanged portion so formed. The external surfaces of the flanged portions are then coated with neoprene solution, and are brought into pressure contact, care being taken that the corresponding apertures and slits in the respective flanged portions register correctly. The fluid tight joint thus formed is reinforced by rows of stitching 20, and by the application of a covering strip 2| cemented around the exterior of the container.

A flexible baffle 22 is provided with a series of radial tongues 23 around its periphery, and with conventional apertures 24. The baflie is inserted into the interior of the container through an aperture 25 in the end wall thereof, the said tongues being so arranged that when the bafiie is correctly located the tongues register with the 1 slits in the composite flanged portion in the interior of the container. The said tongues are then threaded through the corresponding slits. folded back upon themselves, and secured by eyelets as shown at 26. The correct attachment of the baflie is facilitated by first securing a few of the tongues at suitable intervals to hold the baflle in correct position, and subsequently securing the intermediate tongues.

In the construction illustrated in Figure 9. both the flange-like portion and the bafile are tongued, the flange-like portion being similar to that shown in Figures 2 and 5, and the bafiie being like that in Figure 7. Both series of The bafile aeeaaai towels are looped prio to insertion of th i affle into the container: Then the heme issecured "in p sition by threading a. cord 27' or the like through the loopson said flangeslileeportion and said. homo, resp ctively, in alternating sequence, so that the two series of loops are interlaced. The ends of the, cord are then secured together by splicing or in any other suitable manner.

As in Figure 120, the'elongated strip 28 of material which extends continuously and peripherally about-the inner wall of the container may sometimes, with advantage, be folded to form a. resection. and. secured to the sheet of material I in such manner that the web. 25 of the. T constitutes an internal flange within the assembled container. The baflle may then be secured to saidflange by any of the herein described means. For example, the double walled and described. in detail several methods of car 111m invention into effect, it. will be under= stood that; the, said methods may be modified to a. considerable extent without. exceeding the scone. of. the invention. For example, in an altentative construction (not. shown) the slits may be formed in the ballle, and; the member in whiehthe slits arelformed is reinforced at its edge. by a. heading, for example a, cord or the like seouredthereto in any convenient manner.

In a further modification (not shown) the strip is provided along its more central area with a series of slot-alike apertures, and is, secured to the sheet of material substantially by its'longitudinal edges, so that those portions of the strip between the slots comprise passages through which a cord or the like may be threaded. In this case the baffle is tongued and looped, and is secured in position by a, cord threaded through the loops and passages alternately in the manner hereinbefore described. Wherea supporting framework is provided of which the framemembers themselves constitute means sufficient to prevent surging of the fuel or are adapted to provide such means, as for example by the prior attachment of flexible. orinflexible baffles thereto, the internal flange-like means serves to anchor the walls of the container to the framework. 7

I claim:

1. A flexible fuel container having a plurality of longitudinally disposed sections having walls formed of flexible non-metallic sheet material impervious to liquid fuel, each of said sections being provided adjacent its longitudinal extremities with inwardly projecting flexible flanges extending continuously about the margin of said section, adjacent sections bein disposed in abutting relationship and having adjacent flanges joined permanently in flatwise relationship, each flange being provided at each of a plurality of spaced localities along its margin with one element of a flexible tongue-and slit connection adapted and arranged for interengagement with the other element of such connection provided on an internally disposed flexible baffle.

2. A flexible fuel container as defined in claim 1, provided with a sealing strip about its periphery enveloping the line of juncture between each pair or adjacent sections and joined to said ad jacent sections to prerentleakage.

3. A flexible fuel container as defined in claim 1, comprising a separate sheet of flexible material forminga flexible internal. baflie member dis? posed within thecontainer and having its. periph oralv portions secured to. the said internally pro. jeoting flange-portions by such tongue and slit connections.

ii A flexible fuel container having walls, formed of flexible nonemetallic sheet material imperviv ous. to liquid fuel and provided with at least one continuous flange like'portion of flexible material extending continuously and peripherally around. the inner wall of said container and pro ecting inwardly into. the interior thereof, such inwardl projecting flexible flange-like per ion bein provided at. each of a plurality of pao dlooalit es along its mar in'with one ele ment of a. flexible tongue-and-slit. connection adapted and arran ed. for interengagement with the, other element, of such connection provided on an internally disposed flexible .bafile.

, 5. Aflexible fuel container having Walls. formed of flexible, non=metallio sheet. material impervi ou to. liquid fuel; and provided with at. least one longitudinally spaced p ojecting flexible tongues I for spaced mterengagement with an internally isposed flexible baffle.

6- A. flexi le. fuel co tainer having alls formed of flexible. nonmetallic sheet materialim ertn one to liquid fuel and provided with at least one continuous flange-dike, portion of flexible mate rial extending continuously and peripherally around the inner wall of said container and projecting inwardly into the interior of said container, said flexible flange-like portion being provided on its interior margin with a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures adapted and arranged for spaced interengagement with projecting flexible marginal tongues provided on an internally disposed flexible baflle.

7. A flexible fuel container having walls formed of flexible non-metallic sheet material impervious to liquid fuel and provided with at least one continuous flange-like portion of flexible material extending continuously and peripherally around the inner wall of said container and projecting inwardly into the interior thereof, a flexible baffle wall disposed within the container, and means interconnecting said baifie wall and said flange-like portion, said means comprising a plurality of peripherally spaced flexible tongues projecting from at least one of the interconnected members.

8. A flexible fuel container having walls formed of flexible non-metallic sheet material impervious to liquid fuel and provided with at least one continuous flange-like portion of flexible material extending continuously and peripherally around the inner wall of said container and projecting inwardly into the interior thereof, a flexible baffle wall disposed within the container with its outer peripheral margin operatively adjacent the inner margin of such flexible flangelike portion, and means connecting said margins and comprising tongues provided on one of said margins and looped through'respectively coopcrating apertures in the other, each tongue having its extremities fastened together, for perm-anently holding the battle in operative position within the container. g

9. A flexible fuel'container having walls formed of flexible non-metallicsheet'material impervious to liquid fuel and provided with at least one continuous flange-like portion of flexible material extending continuously and peripherally around said container and projecting inwardly into the interior of said container, said flexible flange-like portion being provided on its interior margin with a plurality of longitudinally spaced projecting flexible tongues, a flexible bafile wall disposed Within the container provided with spaced apertures disposed adjacent its outer peripheral margin, said tongues extending through said apertures and being looped about adjacent marginal portions of the baffle, and means fastenin the extremities of the loop portions together for permanently holding the baffle in operative position within the container.

10. A flexible fuel container having walls formed of flexible non-metallic sheet material impervious to liquid fuel and provided with at least one continuous flange-like portion of flexible material extending continuously and periphages-9,921

positively engaging the'flang'a-like portions in fixed relationship."

11. A flexible fuel container having walls formed of flexible non-metallic sheet material impervious to liquid fuel, an elongated strip of material formed into a sectional T-shape and disposed peripherally about the container with the transverse portion of the r section in flatwise relation to the Wall of the container and with the web of the T-section projecting inwardly into the container to provide a continuous peripherally extending flange section, said flange section being provided on its interior margin with a plurality of longitudinally spaced projecting flexible tongues for spaced interengagement with an internally disposed flexible bafiie.

12. A flexible fuel container having walls formed of flexible non-metallic sheet material impervious to liquid fuel and provided with at least one continuous flange-like portion of flexible material extending continuously and peripherally around the inner surface of said container and projecting inwardly into the interior of said container, the inner margin of said flange-like portion being provided with a plurality of peripherally spaced flexible tongues each of said tongues being looped upon itself and having the extremities of the loops secured together, a flexible internal bafile wall within said container, said wall being formed with outer peripheral marginal spaced tongues, said last named tongues being looped and having their extremities joined, the loops of said flange-like portion and said flexible bafiie wall being disposed in ale ternating sequence, and means passing alternately through said loops for'holding the baffle wall in predetermined relation Within said con-, tainer.

LEONARD SHAKESBY'. 

